Family Reunion in California

We do a family reunion every other year with my parents, siblings, and their spouses and children.  It is always such a blast, and this year's reunion was no exception.  

We have had some fabulous reunions in the past, and this time, it was my turn to plan it, so the pressure was on.  

We decided California would be the best, because most of my family is within driving distance, and Fox is still free to fly with, so it didn't cost us a fortune to fly out their either.  Also, there is a lot to do in California, that is all reasonably close.  

For this trip, we decided to do a beach day, a day at Harry Potter World in Universal Studios and two half days to talk and let the kids nap/play at the rental house.  It ended up being a pretty perfect balance.  

Harry Potter world was just as magical as I had hoped!  I went back in 2011 with a singing/dancing tour group (I was in charge of the costumes, NOT singing and dancing. Ha.), and it was so cool. I remember calling my mom practically shrieking in delight because it was such a magical place.  

It was just as fun this time, but I got to experience it with all my siblings and Adam who are all huge Harry Potter fans.  We got a frozen butter beer (way better than the regular kind), and a chocolate frog.  The frog was enormous and a little disappointing, but the butter beer was fabulous!  Fox couldn't stop drinking it.  

It was a little weird taking a baby to a theme park, because we had to stay pretty low key.  The goal wasn't to ride every ride, or see everything this time.  We were pretty laid back, and that made it kind of nice!  

At one point, Adam and Fox went and sat in the Starbucks and ate a yogurt parfait and drank milk, while I went to the a really cool water and stunt show with the family, and then later he went on the Studio Tour with the family while I took Fox to a live animal show and a playground in the park. I really appreciated the quality time with Fox.

Our beach day was short (we only went for about an hour), but it was wonderful!  I love the beach, and in the last 4 or 5 years, I have found our trips to the beach incredibly calming and wonderful (we live just a few hours from the coast here, so I have been 3 or so times since we moved to Texas).  This trip was lovely!  Fox got to dip his toes in, my dad and some of the grandkids were jumping waves, and we took some photos and video and just talked.  It was really great.  

Like with all trips, it was nice to come home, but man, it was good to spend some time with family, away from normal life responsibilities. Check out the video I made of our fun weekend below!